Fran Costigan - An Exploration of Vegan Cakes

This event aired on Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Topic: An Exploration of Vegan Cakes

Join Chef Fran Costigan for a discussion of technique, tips, and choosing ingredients and equipment to make unapologetically delicious vegan cakes.

Presenter

Fran Costigan

Director of Vegan Pastry

FranCostigan.com

Fran Costigan is internationally renowned as the authority on vegan desserts. Trained at the New York Restaurant School and Natural Gourmet Institute, Fran was a chef in both traditional and vegan pastry kitchens before moving into teaching over 20 years ago. A lifelong chocoholic and long time vegan, Fran’s latest book, Vegan Chocolate: Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy Free Desserts, (Running Press 2013) is for all who madly, deeply love chocolate desserts, whether or not dietary considerations are an issue. Her previous cookbook, More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts Naturally (Book Publishing Company 2006) is the basis of the Costigan Vegan Baking Boot Camp Intensive®. For more information, www.francostigan.com.

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Questions from this Event

Lani Hnatiuk

Can dried out vanilla beans be turned into DIY vanilla powder? If so, what is the best option for grinding it down (eg. would the grain container of a Vitamix work?)

Kathy Gold

If the beans are very dry, snap in pieces, grind in bursts until a fine powder. You can do this with beans that have previously been scraped. The powder will be wonderful- a big punch of flavor.

Kathy Gold

Don’t count them out! I rehydrated a lb of beans that dry. Put them into thin jars, added an inch of good bourbon to the bottom. Put the beans upright , sealed the jar. A week later the aroma was fab, beans were pliable, I couild scrape the caviar

Char Nolan

What are your thoughts about using a vegan cake mix AND 12 ounces of club soda to complete making a cake. If not using a vegan cake mix, can you take the dry ingredients and add the club soda. Thx

Paige Reberry

What tips do you have for those of us using gluten free flours?

Patricia Pena

Chef Fran, I am looking for a delicious vegan vanilla cake that can be used for a birthday or even a wedding. Do you have a recipe you can share along with the frosting? Thank you!

Lisa Vincent

Any suggestions on making vegan cakes oil free without them being gummy?

Laura Pochettino

When recipes call for Caster sugar, can you replace it with a healthier date sugar - which is also superfine - or maybe with coconut sugar?

Friend Lee

What's been your favorite vegan substitute for butter, specifically in regards to the creaming method?

Harriett S. Bates

Hi there Chef Fran, What are good substitution for milk and eggs when baking? I make my own homemade almond/walnut milk and apple sauce. When I bake cookies, sometimes the texture can be gummy. Any advise would be great.

Theresa Williams

I would like to avoid using coconut cream. Is there a better ingredient for frostings? I used avocado recently and it was very nice but a bit expensive. Thanks!

Laura Pochettino

Happy New Year Chef Fran! What are your top-three must-have ingredients when baking vegan cakes?

Angelina Alkire

What are your favorite ingredient substitutes for making cakes keto friendly?

MaryEllen Bunce

Good afternoon. I am WFPB and gluten free. I try to use oat or buckwheat flour instead of more refined gf flours. Any tips for helping the baked goods rise and have the best texture. Thank you

Rozanne R-P

If a recipe calls for barley flour or oat flour what can I use instead? Thank you.

Kate Reed

When using reduced aquafaba for baking, I have previously used the liquid drained from a can of no salt added chickpeas. Will I get the same result in my baking when I can only find low salt chickpeas? Will I need to make any adjustments to my recipe?

Julieta Aguilera

Hi! I make my own almond milk for a few years now. Do you have a cookie or cake recipe that will use the ground almonds, no wheat and no eggs?

Laura Crabtree Hollenbeck

Hello Chef Fran! Are some plant milks preferable over others for baking?

Regina Heon

Hi Chef Fran, Any idea what would make a chocolate cake sink in the middle? I have experienced this several times...the cake looks perfect in the oven, then deflates in the center. Thanks!

Kristy Robbins

Hi Fran. Thanks for being here. Can you recommend a great gluten-free flour brand that can be used in a variety of desserts? Also, what would be a good egg substitute? Thank you.

Pamela Moore

I baked a batch of cookies from a mix. The ingredients included almond flour, rice flour monkfruit sweetner and some other ingredients. I added 1.4 cup milk (soy) plus 1/4 cup oil to the mix. Baked at 325. The cookies were good but dry. What was missing

Elizabeth Miller

Will you be discussing the differences in baking with the various milk alternatives, e.g. soy, almond, oat milks? Also I am finding it difficult to find agar agar -- do you have another substitute? Thank you!

Rozanne R-P

Hi Fran. If I use spelt flour in place of all purpose flour in a recipe, do I need to make any adjustments to the leavening or the amount of liquid in the recipe. Thank you.

Victoria Colligan

what oil are you using?

Linda L.

FYI - I made it from scratch from her recipe and it's great!

Elizabeth Miller

Great Class thank you Chef Fran! Do you ever use flaxseed or aquafaba for egg whites?

Erin Leonard

Hello! What is your favorite vegan buttermilk recipe, and how far in advance can you make it and how long can you store it?

Julieta Aguilera

Follow up... I already save my almond grounds in the freezer and use them in cookies and cakes but I have not been able to find a recipe without eggs or wheat.

Michele Hawkins

Hello there, thank you so much for this session. What do you think about the Better'n Eggs product?

Moderated By

Fran Costigan